MOST PROBABLE NUMBER (MPN) TECHNIQUE

The estimation of the number of microorganisms including bacteria and fungi present in public health sample including water, food, beverage, or other products is one of the major tasks of microbiologists especially those working in water treatment plants, food industries and in other government public health establishments. After isolation and estimating the number of microorganisms […]

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Environmental & Soil Microbiology, ,

GENOTYPIC DETECTION OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT MICROBES

The genotypic detection and characterization of antibiotic resistant genes in pathogenic bacteria is more specific in characterizing resistance genes than the phenotypic detection methods. The term genotypic is derived from genotype – which is the complete genetic makeup of an organism. Genotype describes the overall composition of the genetic information found in an organism.  Thus,

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Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Techniques in Microbiology Lab, , , , , , , , ,

FEATURES OF THE VITEK 2 AUTOMATED COMPACT SYSTEM FOR BACTERIAL IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TEST (AST)

Helping the physician select the best treatment at a much faster pace based on the right microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test is crucial in any infectious disease management and patient total wellbeing. Clinical microbiology laboratories are the first lines of defense for the detection of antibiotic resistance from clinical pathogens and/or samples. And the

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Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Microbe Lab, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Techniques in Microbiology Lab, , , ,

SULPHONAMIDES  

  Sulphonamides or sulpha drugs are generally known as folate synthesis inhibitors because they inhibit the synthesis of folic acid, an important precursor for the synthesis of nucleic acids in pathogenic bacteria. They are antimetabolites; and antibiotics in this category include pyrimethamine, trimethoprim, sulphamethoxazole and sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim. Sulphonamides are the largest antibiotic family that acts as

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Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , , , , , ,

TETRACYCLINES

Tetracyclines are general purpose antibiotics used for a variety of clinical applications, and they include tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, dimethyl chlortetracycline, minocycline and doxycycline. Antibiotics in this category are protein synthesis inhibitors like the macrolides, but tetracyclines bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit of bacterial ribosomes during protein synthesis. They are used to treat a wide

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Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, , , ,

IN VIVO DELIVERY FOR GENE THERAPY

In vivo delivery for gene therapy can also be called a direct delivery protocol for the transfer or introduction of a functional (therapeutic) gene to replace an abnormal gene in vivo. In vivo delivery for gene therapy is the gene therapy technique that delivers DNA, RNA or therapeutic protein directly into the cell or tissue

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Gene Therapy Notes, ,

PLASMIDS

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms that have the ability to replicate independently. In prokaryotes, plasmids are found in both Gram positive bacteria and Gram negative bacteria; and they usually range from 1.5 kb to 300 kb in size. In terms of the strands of their DNA molecule, most

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Biotechnology, Gene Therapy Notes, Molecular Microbiology, , , , ,

TYPES OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Bacteria have evolved to survive in diverse environments. They survive exposure to harsh chemicals including antibiotics, and they also survive difficult growth conditions. They have learned to “detoxify” harmful substances e.g. antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance can either be intrinsic or acquired. INTRINSIC (INNATE) RESISTANCE Some bacteria are said to possess innate/intrinsic resistance against antibacterial action put

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , , , ,

BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Antimicrobial agents, particularly antibiotics are the most significant class of pharmaceuticals and are one of the most influential medical inventions of the twentieth century. They have undeniably been a boon to human society in the fight against bacteria, saving millions of lives. Nonetheless, the number of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is increasing across

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , ,